England sees huge increase in gonorrhea, develop antibiotic resistant gonorrhea plan
With the latest numbers released from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showing an increase in gonorrhea cases by 25 percent, British health officials published the first Gonorrhea Resistance Action Plan (GRASP) for England and Wales Wednesday.
This Gram-stained photomicrograph reveals the presence of intracellular Gram-negative, Neisseria gonorrhoeae diplococcal bacteria, amongst numerous white blood cells (WBCs). Image/CDC
According to the latest data, in 2011, new diagnoses of the sexually transmitted infection rose to nearly 21,000, jumping 25 per cent in one year.
Many of these cases were seen in men who have sex with men (MSM) and many were repeat infections.
With drug-resistant strains of the sexually transmitted infection taking hold worldwide, British health officials developed the GRASP Plan.
In England and Wales, the risk of gonorrhea resistance developing in current first-line therapies (ceftriaxone and azithromycin) fell slightly for the first time in five years in 2011. However, cases of treatment failure have now been reported globally and, with no new antimicrobial agents in the pipeline, England’s Chief Medical Officer recently advised government to add the threat of infection resistance to frontline antibiotics to the civil emergencies risk register.
“The GRASP Action Plan raises awareness of this important issue and sets out practical, measurable actions to extend the useful life of the current recommended therapies in England and Wales”, Professor Cathy Ison, lead author of the GRASP Action Plan, HPA said.
Dr Gwenda Hughes, head of STI surveillance at the HPA, said: “We are seriously concerned about continuing high levels of gonorrhea transmission and repeat infection, suggesting we need to do more to reduce unsafe sexual behavior The GRASP Action Plan advocates comprehensive health promotion programs to encourage safer sexual behavior particularly in higher risk groups such as men who have sex with men, alongside maintaining good access to STI screening and sexual health services.”
Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in England and Wales caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The persistence of gonorrhea its association with poor reproductive and sexual health outcomes, and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance have made it a major public health concern.
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[…] England sees huge increase in gonorrhea, develop antibiotic resistant …The Global DispatchWith the latest numbers released from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showing an increase in gonorrhea cases by 25 percent, British health officials published the first Gonorrhea Resistance Action Plan (GRASP) for England and Wales Wednesday. Go to Source […]
[…] With the latest numbers released from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showing an increase in gonorrhea cases by 25 percent, British health officials published the first Gonorrhea Resistance Action Plan (GRASP) for England and Wales Wednesday.England sees huge increase in gonorrhea, develop …The Global DispatchWith the latest numbers released from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showing an increase in gonorrhea cases by 25 percent, British health officials published the first Gonorrhea Resistance Action Plan (GRASP) for England and Wales Wednesday. Go to Source […]